Editorial: End of Plymouth 4th of July celebration would be a shame

Thursday

Mar 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2008 at 8:05 PM

Unless organizers can raise $82,000 between now and May 27 and more people step forward to fill needed roles, the place where Pilgrims stepped ashore to start the United States on its path will be a quiet community on July 4.

The Patriot Ledger

Paris will not celebrate Bastille Day because of citizen disinterest. There will be no Christmas in Bethlehem. St. Patrick’s Day will go unheeded in Dublin. Suffolk County will cease recognizing Bunker Hill Day.

Okay, maybe the last one would be welcome by most Massachusetts citizens but the other statements are clearly facetious. Those cities and those celebrations are intertwined with each other.

But ending those celebrations is akin to Plymouth, America’s consensus hometown, canceling its Independence Day parade and fireworks because of funding problems. Unless organizers can raise $82,000 between now and May 27 and more people step forward to fill needed roles, the place where Pilgrims stepped ashore to start the United States on its path will be a quiet community on July 4.

Despite its burgeoning growth over the last decade, Plymouth remains very much a typical New England seaside community and the 4th of July parade, even with its thousands of out-of-towners in attendance, is still the place to find families honoring America’s independence and small-town values.

And while the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert and the coinciding fireworks are dwarfed in size, scope and attendance by Boston’s ode to America, it is still a celebration in line with what John Adams envisioned “ought to be solemnized with pomp, shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations.”

The town is expected to donate $10,000 toward the cause but key positions such as parade chairman and treasurer remain unfilled.

Perhaps some of the town’s recently arrived and thriving businesses could kick in some money and developers seeking to stake a claim to Plymouth could garner some goodwill with a gesture toward helping the celebration.

It would be a shame if a town recognized the world over as key to America’s founding is silent on the day we mark our independence.